Dead Coyote Hung From A Tree With Christmas Bow On School Bus Route

A dead coyote hanging from a tree with a red Christmas bow has garnered mixed emotions.

The dead coyote was hung from a tree near a public road in Missoula, Montana. It is on a school bus route, in an area known for its Christmas decorations, reports NBC Montana.

Mary Ellen Siegford, a resident of the area, posted a picture of the bow-adorned coyote to Facebook.

Siegford said her daughter burst into tears when she saw the dead animal.

"A lot of people were just like, 'Well, be glad it's dead. You don't have to worry about it eating your pets,'" Siegford said. "But I don't know. To me, it's morbid, it rings of animal cruelty. It's just not very pleasant to drive past, and I feel it's pretty gruesome for the school kids to be passing by on their way to and from school."

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Breitbart reports that it is completely legal for the animal to be hung from the tree, according to Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel. Coyotes are not game animals but predators, it is located on private land, and since the animal is already dead there is no instance of animal cruelty, making it legal.

Siegford says the body of a dead raccoon is now alongside the dead coyote.

"12 days of christmas... a skunk next? what?" Siegford said in a Facebook comment.